The Duchess of Sussex has refuted rumors of her supposed aspirations to become a US Senator. These claims followed reports that she had engaged with California’s governor, possibly with an eye on securing Kamala Harris’s Senate position.

The suggestion that Meghan was eyeing a political career, reportedly disclosed just before the 2020 elections, was detailed in an article by The New York Post. This comes amid news that the duchess and Prince Harry might be considering a return to the UK after six years spent in the United States.

Governor Newsom’s office has previously acknowledged that a meeting took place with Harry and Meghan on October 19, 2020, labeled an ‘introductory meeting’ in official documentation. The specifics of their discussion remain undisclosed.

Insiders suggested that Markle’s interest in the meeting, arranged before Joe Biden’s electoral triumph over Donald Trump, was intended to present a warm California welcome to the royal couple.

Nonetheless, sources also imply that Meghan was exploring the possibility of filling the US Senate seat that Harris was about to vacate in preparation for her role as Biden’s vice president.

The seat was eventually given to California’s Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who then won election to a full, six-year term in 2022.   

A source with Markle told the Post that the Duchess did not want to take Harris’ seat.

The Daily Mail has reached out to a spokesman for the Duchess of Sussex and to Governor Newsom for comment. 

The Post report also alleges that the couple asked to meet Joe Biden in the Oval Office in 2021 but were shut down by White House staff. 

Biden sources claim that it was rejected on the grounds that it would have caused issues with the UK’s prime minister and the rest of the royal family. 

Both President and First Lady Jill Biden ‘didn’t want to get into a family squabble’ given their affection for Queen Elizabeth II. 

They also allegedly asked if they could fly back to the United States alongside the Bidens on Air Force One following the queen’s funeral and the source claimed they were promptly rebuffed. 

The royal couple hired consultants who had worked for both President Barack Obama and Biden, including ex-Press Secretary and current MS Now host Jen Psaki, the outlet said. 

Prince Harry’s current chief of staff, Miranda Barbot, herself a former Obama staffer, was used as a conduit between the royals and the White House, the report stated. 

A Biden source told the Post that the pair had worn out their welcome with the Bidens, and that this was evidenced by neither of them continuing to attend Harry’s Invictus Games after 2021.

News that Harry and Meghan plan to return to Britain for an extended period and enroll Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in an English school suggests the couple have accepted that their American adventure has not delivered the glittering commercial empire once envisaged.

A lucrative Spotify deal is long gone and their original Netflix contract has ended. The duchess’s series With Love, Meghan lasted two seasons. 

Sources close to Harry briefed at the weekend that his family reunion with King Charles last month left the duke feeling ‘buoyed,’ ‘very happy’ and ‘really energized.’

Crucially, they added: ‘He wants to spend more time in the UK with his family.’

He will now get his wish. The family are expected to establish themselves in a private, non-royal residence and could remain in Britain while Archie and Lilibet complete their education.

But there will be no return to life as working royals.

The King, who is understood to have been informed of Harry’s plans only on Sunday, is said to welcome the opportunity to spend more time privately with his younger son and grandchildren.

But Buckingham Palace’s position on Harry and Meghan’s official status is understood to be unchanged.

There will be ‘no alteration’ to their roles as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with the arrangements established after their sensational departure in 2020.

In Louisiana, a substitute teacher’s actions led to panic across five schools after she allegedly triggered false active shooter alerts, causing district-wide security responses, authorities reported.

Lytonja Barfield, aged 58, faces charges on five counts of menacing following an investigation into the incidents that unfolded on Wednesday, as disclosed by Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr.

The investigation by the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office commenced after the Caddo Parish School Board raised concerns about potential threats stemming from emergency alerts issued at multiple schools.

Don Gibbs, head of security for the school board, informed investigators that Barfield, serving as a substitute teacher, allegedly exploited the district’s emergency management system to falsely report active shooter situations at five schools, according to the details from the sheriff’s office.

School officials responded to the alerts by implementing security measures to protect students and staff while they worked to determine whether the reported threats were legitimate.

Officials determined the alerts were false and identified Barfield as the person responsible for sending them, the sheriff’s office said.

Caddo Parish Public Schools told News Media Barfield is no longer employed by the district and was not assigned to work at any district location at the time of the incident.

“We are cooperating fully with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation into the matter. Ms. Barfield is no longer employed by the district, and, at the time of the incident, she was not assigned to work at any district site,” the district’s statement said. 

“While we will not speak to the individual details of the investigation, as that is under the purview of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, I can say that, in response to the mobile alerts, the district followed our established security protocols to ensure student and staff safety at all locations.”

The sheriff’s office did not identify the five schools in its announcement or say what specific security measures were implemented.

A Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office detective later located Barfield and questioned her about the incident.

Based on evidence and information gathered during the investigation, authorities arrested Barfield and transported her to the Caddo Correctional Center, according to the sheriff’s office.

Barfield was booked on five counts of menacing.

The sheriff’s office said false reports of active threats can disrupt schools, trigger emergency responses and cause fear among students, parents, employees and the surrounding community.

Authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the alleged false alerts.

The investigation remains ongoing.

On the brink of their season opener, USC’s head coach Lincoln Riley and collegiate football coaches across the nation might face an unexpected dilemma:

Should they welcome back players who had once graduated to the professional ranks?

A recent court decision has opened the possibility for former college athletes, who signed with NFL teams this past summer, to return to collegiate play with renewed eligibility.

This development presents a unique scenario, as these athletes have been training with NFL teams and presumably turned to the next chapter of their careers.

However, reports indicate that some of these players might be keen on terminating their NFL contracts to rejoin college football teams.

So, where does Riley stand on the possibility of bringing back a player who was thought to have played his final game as a Trojan?

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, you’ve got to feel like bringing in somebody is in the best interest of the team, right?” Riley said Thursday.

“Addition doesn’t always mean necessarily making you better, right? And we feel very strongly about the group that we’ve put together, we feel very strongly about the kind of culture and attitude and vibe of this team right now, and so first and foremost, we’re going to protect that, and if at some point someone comes up that we feel like can add to the roster and add to the intangible part of this, then we would certainly look at it.”

While they were not among the group of players granted a temporary restraining order as part of the lawsuit against the NCAA, there are a couple of former USC players whose returns could make sense — at least in theory — should they decide to go down a similar path.

Detroit Lions rookie edge rusher Anthony Lucas and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie tight end Lake McRee both signed with their respective teams as undrafted free agents, meaning they face long odds to make the roster, much less contribute significantly in their first NFL seasons.

But there’s no certainty they even want to return, and the Trojans are at a strange juncture to be adding players — even ones they know and love. They are about to enter game-week mode ahead of their season opener against San Jose State on Aug. 29 at the Coliseum after having collectively endured the strain of training camp.

How would someone who won a starting job feel about being displaced by another player who wasn’t part of that process? How might the addition of players at this point change the locker room bonding that’s been going on since spring practice?

Those are tough questions without easy answers. Riley said general manager Chad Bowden, coaches and other staffers were continuing to monitor the seemingly daily rule changes and how they might impact the team.

“I think we’ve had to learn — I think we all have — there’s things within the rules of the game that if there’s a place to have an advantage for USC, we would always look at it — I mean, always,” Riley said. “Whether we agree with it or not, that is definitely something that I wish wasn’t happening right now in college football — and not for any individual’s sake, just for the overall good of the game.

“For us, it’s something we’re looking at, it’s something we have looked at as some of these different judges’ decisions have transpired across the country. There’s never going to be a stone that’s not going to be uncovered, that’s not going to be looked at, discussed.”

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Sandra Bullock stepped into the public eye on Tuesday, marking a rare appearance shortly after opening up about the passing of her long-term companion, Bryan Randall.

The 62-year-old Hollywood star maintained a discreet presence, donning a baseball cap and dark sunglasses, as she ran errands in Beverly Hills. By her side was her 12-year-old daughter, Laila.

Laila, who is one of Bullock’s two adopted children, was seen holding a takeout box, hinting at a casual meal during their shopping trip.

This public outing coincided with the release of her candid interview on the SmartLess podcast. During the discussion, Bullock opened up about her journey through her partner Randall’s struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS.

While talking to the podcast hosts, Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett, the Oscar-winning actress revealed she had spent four years mourning as the debilitating disease affected Randall. He tragically passed away in August 2023 at the age of 57.

‘Where he was in his journey, both physically and mentally, I started grieving Bryan four years before he passed. There was something that had shifted,’ she explained.

‘My person left a lot earlier than the body left. I don’t think I ever dealt with that until after he passed, because you’re just on this treadmill.’

The couple initially met in January 2015 when the star hired him to photograph her son Louis’ fifth birthday party, and they began dating shortly afterwards.

Bullock also spoke about how she understood why Randall wanted her to keep his ‘traumatic diagnosis’ private, but it ultimately left her feeling isolated.

‘He asked me not to share. I know why he asked me not to… At first I go, “Oh, I can handle that. I can be quiet. I don’t wanna harm others because of what I do. So I think not talking for a while was good.’

She went on: ‘The entire world was locked in with a pandemic. It was literally like the final diagnosis, even though, he was ill for half of our relationship. 

‘The diagnosis came almost at the same time with the cloak of the pandemic. So as the pandemic came down, and I have a child with severe asthma, I was panicking.’

‘I had two young kids that were navigating it, especially a little girl who saw him as a father figure… I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody. My sister was the only one who knew for, for a while. It’s a huge weight.’

Bullock eventually confided in two close friends, Bateman’s wife Amanda Anka and The Morning Show star Jennifer Aniston, because managing Randall’s symptoms and raising her kids amid the pandemic became a ‘trifecta that was pretty dark.’

‘I had to release a film at the same time and talk about gray. I saw myself on the red carpet and I was like, you just look at my face. And I am, I’m a woodblock.’

Bullock had mostly avoided the public eye after stepping back from Hollywood in 2022 – the main motivation behind her withdrawal now painfully clear.

She returns to the big screen in the sequel Practical Magic 2, which reunites her with Nicole Kidman and hits US theaters on September 11 and internationally on September 9. It’s her first role in several years.

Recently analyzed surveillance footage revealed a chilling scene in downtown Philadelphia where a man in a menacing Chucky-style Halloween mask instigated fear among pedestrians. This tense episode ended with the masked individual dodging two police officers in pursuit, officials reported on Thursday.

The Philadelphia Police Department, in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service, has been on the lookout for 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, following the issue of an arrest warrant related to the incident that took place on August 12.

“If it was Hughes’ intention to instill fear and make others flee, one might ask, who is really running now?” remarked Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner at a press briefing on Thursday afternoon.

Authorities shared additional footage on Thursday illustrating Hughes departing from his residence and subsequently taking public transportation towards the downtown area.

Once in the downtown area, Hughes donned his mask around 5:30 a.m. and began antagonizing people while filming his actions with a cell phone, police said. He allegedly threatened and assaulted a jogger near City Hall before chasing her.

The first person confronted by Hughes appeared to be terrified.

“The victim is absolutely terrified of Mr. Hughes,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said. “He crouches down with his hands up in a pleading motion. We don’t know exactly what was said… but it’s readily apparent that this individual is certainly in fear for their life. So then Mr. Hughes proceeds to make his way down Chestnut Street, harassing additional people.”

The incident culminated when Hughes allegedly chased the jogger.

Holding up his phone, he allegedly asked: “Are you ready to die?” police said. The jogger injured her leg while fleeing and will require extensive medical treatment, Capt. Smith told reporters.

At one point, Hughes was spotted inside Suburban Station by two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) police officers in a golf cart and others on foot. The officers told him to remove the mask, Smith said, while showing footage of the interaction.

Hughes removed the mask but attempted to conceal his identity.

“Underneath that Chucky-style Halloween mask, he’s got a black, COVID-style mask, which he never removes,” Smith said. “Before they spot him, he is running around attempting to engage other people and scare them down in Suburban Station as well.”

The officers followed Hughes, but he eventually evaded them and boarded a bus back home, police said.

He took the bus, placed the mask in a backpack, and arrived at his apartment complex, authorities said.

Surveillance footage captured at the complex shows Hughes leaving for downtown before his alleged rampage began. Investigators were able to obtain images of him in a common area without the mask.

SEPTA police officers were able to identify Hughes, along with two other people, police said.

Smith said he believes Hughes initiated the spree for “his own sick personal amusement” or to create monetized social media content.

Hughes remains at large but has ties to California and Nevada, police said.